how it all began
Hi, I’m Darnell—and this is Melandru, my full-time project since 2024.
After years of balancing a regular 9-to-5 with my passion for music, I finally took the leap in 2024 to pursue music full time. That decision marked a turning point—not just in my career, but in how I see the world and what I want to contribute to it.
I’ve always been fascinated by the power of sound to move people, especially the kind of music you hear in films and games: the kind that lets you step into another life, feel something unexpected, or reconnect with something buried inside.
That’s what I aim to do with Melandru. My music exists for the people who feel deeply, think too much, or get lost in their own heads. It blends electronic rhythms with emotional depth—sometimes cinematic, sometimes raw, always honest. My goal is to create soundscapes that don’t just entertain, but awaken something in you. A memory. A dream. A feeling you thought you forgot.
I started DJing as a teenager and later dove into production, influenced by everything from dance and ambient to Japanese percussion and native drums. Genre means less to me than mood. I want to blur boundaries—not to be different for the sake of it, but to be truthful to the emotion of each track. Whether it’s something made for the club, a headphone moment, or a live set that makes you lose track of time—I follow where the feeling leads.
In 2025, my sound is shaped, perfected and ready to be released in the world. Sidenote: I performed my first ever festival show at Hintergarten Festival in Den Bosch—a big milestone that reflects how far the project has come since that first leap of faith.
And I’m only just getting started.